FMCSA returns automatic emergency relief to 30 days

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has finalized a rule returning the automatic emergency relief period to 30 days, undoing a 2023 cut to 14 days, according to Overdrive on Oct. 2.

The rule raises the automatic relief triggered by a regional declaration of emergency — from a governor, an authorized state representative, or FMCSA itself — from 14 days back to 30 days. The agency proposed the change in January and received 13 relevant comments, with 10 supporting it. The final rule takes effect Monday, Oct. 5, when it publishes in the Federal Register, and petitions for reconsideration must reach the FMCSA administrator within 30 days of publication.

The 2023 change had shortened the relief from 30 days to 14 days and limited the exempted rules to hours-of-service limits in sections 395.3 and 395.5. Drivers and carriers giving direct help during a declared emergency now get the longer window automatically, without filing a separate extension request.